Every year, Inman celebrates the most innovative teams, the top producers and business experts who are expanding rapidly and winning clients and fans. This year’s finalists for the Inman Innovators Most Innovative Team category include teams from an array of brands that are making their mark in markets all over the country.

Many of them will be taking the stage at Inman Connect San Francisco, July 17 through 20 at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, and celebrating their achievements at the Inman Innovator Bash, July 19 at Verso. Here are some highlights from the 2018 class of nominees for the Most Innovative Real Estate Team:

Kristan Cole Team: Alaska is a destination real estate market, with clients from all over the world, and Kristan Cole’s team has figured out how to leverage this international interest to its advantage. Cole’s team sells in multiple Alaskan cities, and she’s also established strategic office locations worldwide to help support clients and extend her empire. Her excellent customer service, targeted telemarketers and efficient, organized systems have helped her create a global real estate network.

Lucas Sanchez Real Estate Team: The Lucas Sanchez Real Estate Team focuses on education — but for clients (and more specifically, clients’ children) rather than agents. The team offers in-depth community guides for Rio Grande Valley school districts and allows buyers to search by school district and many other factors on the team website, giving parents a way to base their home search on one of the factors that matters most to them.

Tim Heyl Team, Austin: The Heyl Group’s growth has landed it on the Inc. list of fastest-growing companies, and Tim Heyl’s status as a mega agent and his work at building a real estate training empire, in addition to his lead generation platform Phone Animal, has cemented the Heyl Group’s dominance. By crafting systems and processes that scale beautifully, Heyl will no doubt continue to scale massively in coming years.

Adam Hergenrother, Adam Hergenrother Companies: Adam Hergenrother operates teams in several states and even more cities through Hergenrother Realty Group, in addition to running construction and training/coaching companies for real estate to round out his portfolio. By thinking creatively about what his teams can do and how they can leverage market know-how to better serve customers, Adam Hergenrother is building a legacy brand.

Carissa Acker, REBD Group: Carissa Acker’s Real Estate By Design (REBD) Group team leverages Acker’s experience in asset management and REO/foreclosure properties; she’s built up a business working with institutional investors and relocation clients, all while implementing spectacular sphere marketing campaigns. Her clients appreciate (and seek out) her specialized knowledge to execute their deals and build their wealth portfolios, and Acker is using her team to serve even more of them every day.

Chad Schwendeman, EXIT Realty: Chad Schwendeman’s emphasis on real estate marketing (he spends tens of thousands of dollars every month to market his business) combined with services that make clients’ experiences smoother (like property management and title companies) have elevated his team to one of the best in the area. In other words, Schwendeman focuses on giving clients seamless, airtight service and makes sure that everyone in his service area knows it with his commitment to spreading the word via marketing.

Curtis Johnson, Curtis Johnson Team, eXp Realty: Having a real estate expert with Curtis Johnson’s marketing chops and ability to connect with people can only benefit any brokerage; Johnson has acted as a key player in bringing other teams to join eXp Realty, where he operates his top-ranked group. He’s one of the many boots-on-the-ground folks who are helping eXp build its well-deserved reputation as an industry powerhouse.

Erin Boisson Aries Team: There’s no place like New York City, and Erin Boisson Aries and her team are experts in helping people find their place in the always-hot New York market. Boisson Aries sells both new developments and historic brownstones in the highly competitive market, and her data-driven approach and home matchmaking skills have set her apart from her peers, delighting clients in the bargain.